Data
About the Fisheries and Ocean Data Management System
The Fisheries and Ocean Data Management System serves as a means for the public to access data from collaborative research projects funded by the Northeast Consortium. It is maintained and served by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution under the supervision of its Northeast Consortium Representative, Peter Wiebe. The Northeast Consortium requires that all data resulting from collaborative research projects be made publicly available to ensure that:
- scientists, fishermen, and fisheries managers can evaluate and consider data for use in fisheries and ocean science and management;
- data can be compared, integrated, and synthesized from many different projects;
- collaborative research participants can learn about the results of projects and avoid repeating experiments or observations that have already been made;
- collaborative research data is archived;
- federal guidelines are met for public access to data resulting from federally funded programs and activities.
This system provides data from Northeast Consortium collaborative research projects via the internet ( http://www.northeastconsortium.org/data.shtml ).
The data management system
The Fisheries and Oceans Data Management System uses the JGOFS/GLOBEC (U.S. Joint Global Ocean Flux Study/GLOBal Ocean ECosystem dynamics) data management software to serve data. The software is designed so the public can look at, manipulate, and retrieve data and is compatible with any computer that has a standard web browser, such as Internet Explorer, Netscape, Firefox, etc.
Data can be added to the system in a variety of forms including tables, spreadsheets, and Matlab files. Data can also be served directly from other data management systems, such as Oracle, and other systems that support Internet access and the SQL interface. Images and movies can also be served, subject to file size/resolution constraints.
The data system displays the data on the web page in a number of ways; typically data are organized hierarchically and actual data values are displayed. In addition, data can be graphed in an X-Y plot format or downloaded in several formats including ASCII tables, and Matlab, zip, and tar files.
Data ownership
Data are the intellectual property of the collecting investigator(s). The intellectual investment and time committed to the collection of a data set entitles the investigator to the fundamental benefits of the data set. Publication of descriptive or interpretive results derived immediately and directly from the data is the privilege and responsibility of the investigators who collect the data. We respect the desires of researchers who would like to publish data prior to making the data publicly available. Researchers are strongly encouraged to submit all data as soon as possible after the completion of their project. We will work with researchers on a case-by-case basis to allow a grace period, typically three years from the date of data collection, for publication purposes. Data will be appended to the database, but will not be accessible to third parties until the grace period has expired.
Use of the data
The data are intended for scholarly use by the industry, management, and academic and scientific communities, with the express understanding that any such use will properly acknowledge the originating investigator, the Northeast Consortium, and NOAA Fisheries. Use or reproduction of any data or images for any commercial purpose is prohibited without prior written permission from the Northeast Consortium Data Management Office. Any person making substantial use of a data set must communicate with the investigators who acquired the data prior to publication and anticipate that the data collectors may expect to be co-authors of published results. This extends to model results and to data organized for retrospective studies.
How to submit data
Data from completed projects should be submitted to the Northeast Consortium Fisheries and Oceans Data Management System. The submission of data is a simple process; however, investigators are encouraged to contact the Northeast Consortium Data Management Office prior to submission. The data may be in a spreadsheet or in a word processing tabular format. Any computer readable file (except PDF format), in either ASCII or binary format, is acceptable as long as supporting documentation about the file contents is provided. Images may be in several formats, including GIF, TIFF, JPEG, and PNG. The Data Management Office will accept data via e-mail, floppy disk, CD-ROM, DVD, and ftp file transfers.
All data should be accompanied by an explanatory file that will be posted in the "Description and Documentation" section of the data system. This file should contain the following information:
- Project title.
- Year(s) funded. Note if the research was a project development award.
- Principal investigator(s) (list name, institution and/or F/V name).
- Other key participants (list name, institution and/or F/V name).
- Project abstract/summary.
- List variables and brief descriptions of each variable.
- Any other explanatory notes for the data, including data acquisition and data processing methodologies.
Note that all project final reports submitted to the Northeast Consortium will be accessible via the Data Management System. The explanatory notes should contain all the information necessary to make the dataset understandable. Interpretive information should be contained within the final report.
Other guidance on data format
While each data set is unique, the following guidelines will help in submitting data:
- Data fields should not be color coded.
- Blank data fields should be identified as either containing no data ('nd') or a zero where zero is a real observed value. Do not use '999's to mean "no data." All cells should contain observed values or "nd." Do not leave blanks in the cells below an entry if it means that the same entry is repeated.
- Relevant dates, vessel names, identification notations, etc. should be repeated in columns, not rows.
- Comments within a data sheet should appear only once and be limited to one column, not several times in several different columns.
- Please try to avoid the characters ' ( ) ' ' ? and & in your data. The web interprets these characters very specifically.
Data that are ready to serve will be served more quickly than data that requires extensive reformatting by the Data Management Ooffice. Please contact the Northeast Consortium with questions.
Proprietary information
Cooperative research participants may consider certain information to be proprietary, such as the precise location where fish are caught if the research was conducted using a Day-at-Sea. It is possible to hide certain data fields and the Northeast Consortium will work with researchers, at their request, on a case-by-case basis.
Web-based project data sets
Researchers may post data to their own website, that is, a website not hosted by the Northeast Consortium. However, the data must also be posted to the Fisheries and Oceans Data Management System.
Contact information
For all matters relating to data submission and accessibility, please contact Dicky Allison at the Northeast Consortium Data Management Office.
Dicky Allison, Database Manager
Northeast Consortium Data Management Office
Swift House, MS #38
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Woods Hole , MA 02543
(508) 289-2298
For questions relating to the scientific or technical aspects of collaborative research projects, please contact Rachel Feeney or Chris Manning or at the Northeast Consortium.
Rachel Feeney, Fisheries Specialist
Northeast Consortium
University of New Hampshire
8 College Road , 142 Morse Hall
Durham , NH 03824
(603) 862-2276
Chris Manning, Oceanography Specialist
Northeast Consortium
University of New Hampshire
8 College Road , 142 Morse Hall
Durham , NH 03824
(603) 862-4043
How to Submit Data
The submission of data is a simple process. The data can be in spreadsheet formats, as well as in tabular format from a word processing program. Any computer readable file, in either ASCII or binary format, is acceptable as long as supporting documentation about the file contents is provided. Images can be in several formats, including GIF, TIFF, JPEG, and PNG. The data management office will accept data via e-mail, floppy disk, CD-ROM, DVD, and ftp file transfers.
For all matters relating to data submission and accessibility, please contact Dicky Allison at the Northeast Consortium Data Management Office.
Dicky Allison
Northeast Consortium Data Management Office
Swift House, MS #38
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Woods Hole , MA 02543
Email Dicky Allison
(508) 289-2298